A Chance Meeting
by alski86
Summary: This little meeting takes place after the X:WP episode 'Been There, Done That' where Xena is forced to live the same day over and over.


After reliving the same day over and over again, trying to save that girl from drinking poison, Xena was incredibly relieved that it was over. She was happy to bask in the spontaneity of a brand new day. She knew neither Gabrielle or Joxer would ever completely understand what she went through, but that didn't matter. She was too busy enjoying the sights, sounds and smells as the walked out of the city and into the unknown, as they always did.

They didn't get too far on the road before they caught sight of someone in trouble. He was a small man with dark hair, wearing an off-white jacket and a red scarf. He was standing in front of a blue box, which had smoke bellowing out the front door. He appeared to be hugging it, as if consoling a close friend.

"There you are, my dear," he said, soothingly. "It's all over now."

"What's wrong with that guy?" Joxer whispered to Gabrielle.

"I don't know," she answered, then she called out to the man. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Hm?" The man span around, as if pulled from a trance. "Yes?"

"Um, we were just wondering if you needed any help," Gabrielle said.

"Oh! Well, thank you very much but I don't think anyone can help me," the man said, "Not unless you can tell me if there have been any time distortions in this area."

Xena's ears pricked up. She pushed past Gabrielle and Joxer and stood face to face with the man. "_Time _distortions?"

The man met her gaze, contemplating her reaction. "Yes. Hello, I'm the Doctor."

"My name is Xena."

"Arrgh!" The Doctor screamed, making everybody, including Xena, jump. The Doctor raised his umbrella over his head, ready to strike. "Get back!"

Gabrielle immediately ran in front of Xena, trying to remedy the situation. "Hey, hey, hey, it's ok, no one's going to hurt you!"

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded.

"My name's Gabrielle."

"Oh!" The Doctor sighed, putting his umbrella down. "That's a relief! For a moment there, I thought I was in big trouble."

There was a moment of silence, following the Doctor's outburst. Xena immediately understood his reaction, the gods knew it wasn't the first time, or the last. She expected this doctor had heard of her reputation back in the days before Hercules and Gabrielle changed her life. Many doctors had seen the horrors of war first-hand and treated people who fell under Xena's sword. But those days were long behind her, and she would prove it to this doctor, whoever he was.

For Gabrielle, it had been a weird couple of days. Yesterday, Xena all of a sudden wakes up on a mission to save some woman from dying, because she's lived the same day over again and again. And now this doctor, a man of healing, is threatening to beat up her best friend. Why was my name so important, she thought to herself. One mention of my name and all of a sudden everything is fine again? Why?

In his travels through space and Earth's history, The Doctor had of course heard of Xena, the warrior princess. He'd read wikipedia, watched the show and had become convinced that such a person couldn't really exist. Before Hercules set her on the right and Gabrielle became her rock of support, Xena was truly evil. It was such a shock that evil of that scale could exist anywhere, let alone ancient Greece. So the Doctor's immediate reaction was fear at what Xena was.

However, there was also the Xena Scrolls, which recounted all the adventures she and Gabrielle had together. These stories lifted his hearts whenever he read them. Two people travelling side by side, having so many wonderful adventures together. It came as a tremendous relief to know he was in a time period where Xena was discovering everything she could be.

As for Joxer, he was watching the whole situation… and taking in absolutely nothing. It was he who broke the silence.

"Uh, what just happened?" he asked.

"You must be Joxer," The Doctor said.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"Just a hunch," The Doctor said, giving a knowing smile to Xena and Gabrielle. They grinned back.

"You said something about a time distortion, Doctor?" asked Xena.

"Well, that would explain what threw my ship out of the vortex," The Doctor spoke plainly.

"Ship?" asked Gabrielle, who started glancing around for a boat. "Where?"

"This," the Doctor said, pointing to the blue box, "It's called the TARDIS. Come in, the smoke's just about cleared."

The Doctor walked in and shut the door behind him. Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer stood around the TARDIS, looking at each other.

"Well, I'm not going in there," said Joxer, apprehensively. "I can't stand small spaces."

Then Xena turned to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle backed away. "Oh no no no, I'm not going in there, he's crazy!"

Xena sighed. "Fine, I'll go if you're too chicken."

Xena walked up to the TARDIS, took a deep breath and stepped inside. The interior of the TARDIS took her breath away. She looked around taking in the surroundings until a last her eyes fell on the Doctor standing at the TARDIS console, looking straight at her.

Xena's eyes narrowed and she became suspicious. "Who are you? Some sort of god?"

The Doctor chuckled. "No, no, I'm not a god, but I'm not human either."

"Alright," Xena relaxed a little. "So what are you?"

"I'm a timelord," The Doctor said, "I travel like you only through space and time."

"You can travel through space and time, but you're _not _a god?" Xena questioned.

"It's complicated," The Doctor stated, simply. "Now, time distortion. Explanation please?"

"Someone prayed to Aphrodite to make the day repeat over and over until a hero came to save his fiancé," Xena explained.

"Ah, the old never-ending day trick, huh?" The Doctor said, thoughtfully. "I remember having the same problem with a weather man in Punxatuney."

At that moment, Gabrielle burst into the TARDIS. "Xena, what are you… by the gods!" she exclaimed, noting the interior.

"Don't you knock!" The Doctor snapped.

"Sorry," said Gabrielle, "It's just… the inside's bigger than the outside!"

"Is it really! I hadn't noticed that!" The Doctor said sarcastically, receiving a very dangerous look from Xena.

The doors burst open again as Joxer came in saying, "Come on, you guys, the Doctor's crazy anyw…" He stopped. "It's, it's…"

"Bigger on the inside, that's right," The Doctor said, finishing his sentence.

Joxer clearly had more trouble coping with the larger interior of the small blue box, and fainted dead away.

"Xena, what is this?" Gabrielle whispered.

"It's a time ship and the Doctor is the lord of time," Xena whispered back.

"_A_ lord of time," The Doctor corrected.

"He's a traveller, just like us," Xena said to Gabrielle.

"Can we travel with him?" Gabrielle jumped at the chance to go travelling into the future or the past.

A smile passed the Doctor's lips at Gabrielle's eagerness to travel. But he saw in Xena's eyes a need to stay behind and make amends for her past.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle, not this time," The Doctor said.

"But why?" Gabrielle felt let down.

"Because it's not in the scrolls yet," he said.

Gabrielle was puzzled. "Scrolls?"

"Yes, your scrolls!" exclaimed the Doctor. "The scrolls you write about your adventures with Xena."

"How do you know about my scrolls?" Gabrielle asked.

"I've read them," said the Doctor, turning to the TARDIS console. "Well, I think she's fixed herself now, thank you for stopping by."

"You're leaving?" Xena asked.

"I must, time and space isn't going to travel itself," The Doctor said, hurriedly adjusting the TARDIS's controls.

Xena and Gabrielle made their way to the doors.

"Don't forget your luggage," The Doctor called.

They turned around to see the Doctor pointing at Joxer, who was still unconscious. Xena and Gabrielle picked up the unconscious Joxer, Xena taking his left side, Gabrielle his right. The Doctor opened the doors of the TARDIS to let them through.

"Are you going to help us?" Xena asked.

"I'm sure you can manage," said the Doctor.

Xena and Gabrielle dragged Joxer out of the TARDIS, on to the street with no help from the Doctor. They dropped him on the ground, and both looked at the Doctor.

"Well, it was lovely to meet you both!" the Doctor said.

"Uh-huh," muttered Xena, shaking the Doctor's hand. She was still unimpressed that he hadn't helped them carry Joxer.

"Will we ever see you again?" asked Gabrielle.

"Most definitely," said the Doctor, kissing Gabrielle on the cheek. "Good-bye, Gabrielle."

"Good-bye, Doctor."

"You never told us your name," said Xena, "Doctor who?"

"Until next time, Xena!" The Doctor quickly turned his tail, and walked back into the TARDIS, leaving Xena and Gabrielle outside looking at each other.

"Well, _that _was weird," said Gabrielle.

"Yeah," was all Xena could muster before a noise that sounded like an injured elephant began to wail and the TARDIS began to disappear.


End file.
